


Deserted

by poolsidescientist



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Episode Related, Episode: s02e14 The Desert, Gen, toph-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 14:58:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12192141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poolsidescientist/pseuds/poolsidescientist
Summary: The library, the sand benders, Toph might be a great earthbender but even she has her limits. A focus on Toph's perspective during 'The Library'.





	Deserted

**Author's Note:**

> Still re-watching ATLA and still writing fic. I own nothing but my thoughts. I do love comments so tell me anything :)

Toph Beifong hated sand. It was grainy and hot on her feet. Not to mention how it distorted her earthbending and made everything blurry. It made her feel helpless, and there was nothing she hated more than feeling helpless. Not that she would be of much use to Aang, Sokka, and Katara in the library. Unless there were some sort of books for blind people, she was better off waiting outside with Appa.

While flying still made her uncomfortable, Toph had grown fond of the sky bison. He was straightforward and reliable, though a bit keener on snuggling than she was. Toph liked her space. And she felt perfectly content sitting in Appa’s shadow. At least until the ground started rumbling. It was the library.

“Library sinking,” she got up and ran to the tower, “LIBRARY SINKING!!!!!” Toph tried to find a good stance but the tower kept slipping through her fists. She bent down some sand and eventually got a grip on the library. She had been in libraries before but this was ordinary building. Yes, the library was sinking, but it felt as though the building was not being dragged into the ground but rather ripped out of existence. Toph could feel herself sweating, it was hard to keep a hold of the tower. Her friends were inside.

Appa grunted uneasily as more rumbling approached from the horizon, “What is it now?” she asked, as though he could answer. Toph heard them coming. They. People. “Who’s there?” a rhetorical question. They were sandbenders. And they were not her friends.

The sandbenders were aggressive. And they wanted Appa. Appa screamed as they tied him up. Everyone was moving so fast that, unable to sandbend, Toph couldn’t react fast enough. Her heart raced. Sokka, Aang, Katara, Momo, and now Appa; they were all in trouble. 

“Don’t make me put this down,” Toph threatened. She tried to bend, momentarily letting go of the tower. It slid into the ground faster than she had anticipated. She grabbed it again as Appa groaned. The sandbenders were dragging him away. 

“No! Stop sinking!” she felt as though she was fighting with another dimension. One where her bending was useless. Toph let go of the tower again but it was futile. She couldn’t save everyone. She couldn’t save Appa. 

“No!” she yelled, grabbing hold of the tower as the sky bison’s growls faded into the distance, “I’m sorry Appa.” Toph wanted to cry. She held onto the tower for dear life.


End file.
